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Kyrgyz president says ready to step down when law and order restored

Political tensions in Kyrgyzstan have reached the critical point, the president said
Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov  Mikhail Metzel/TASS
Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov
© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

BISHKEK, October 9. /TASS/. Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov said in a statement on Thursday he was ready to step down as soon as legitimate leaders are appointed and order is restored in the country.

"We need to return the current situation to the legal domain. As soon as legitimate chiefs of executive bodies are appointed and the country returns to the path of law and order, I’m ready to step down as the president of Kyrgyzstan," reads a statement, posted on the president’s website.

He went on to say that political tensions in Kyrgyzstan have reached the critical point, announcing a series of measures to overcome the crisis.

"The political situation in the country has reached the critical point. In order to settle the current situation, the following steps should be done. The results of elections to Jogorku Kenesh [parliament] have already been annulled, and new parliamentary elections should be scheduled. A decision on the matter is to be made by the Central Election Commission. Those measures would ease the current political tensions," reads a statement, posted on the president’s website.

"At the same time, we need to sack the prime minister and members of his cabinet, who worked before the crisis, thus creating legitimate grounds for new appointments. In order to legitimize the appointment of the new prime minister and cabinet members, a parliamentary ruling and a presidential decree are necessary. I’m ready to sign relevant documents and I’m waiting for a Jogorku Kenesh ruling," the president said.

Following the October 4 parliamentary polls in Kyrgyzstan, supporters of those parties, which failed to win seats, organized mass riots in Bishkek. Overnight to Tuesday, the protesters seized the parliament, the government and the presidential administration buildings, the mayor’s office and the Prosecutor-General’s office.

The opposition helped create several structures, which declared themselves as interim authorities and appointed prime ministers. The state posts of all levels were seized in the Central Asian republic and unknown individuals took under control dozens of enterprises, deposits and other business facilities.